Rapid Charge Extraction via Hole and Electron Transfer Layers on Cu₂O Photocathode for Stable and Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Reduction.

ABSTRACT: Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water reduction offers a promising method for generating "green" hydrogen. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the photocathode is significantly constrained, primarily because of the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and the high energy barrier encountered during the water splitting step. Here, a unique "sandwich" structure FeOOH/Cu₂O/ZnO composite photocathode is fabricated by hydrothermal and electrodeposition methods. Photogenerated holes are extracted and transferred from the Cu₂O to FTO substrates more easily via the introduction of FeOOH as a hole storage/transport layer. Charge recombination is hindered by the ZnO layer, which functions an electron transfer agent. Hence, the FeOOH/Cu₂O/ZnO photo

SUBMITTER: Huai S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12561211 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature